As researchers search for new treat­ments for multiple myeloma, they are particularly interested in uncovering ther­a­pies that address the dis­ease in new ways. Survival and the chance for a cure are likely to be im­proved the most by new treat­ments that are noticeably dif­fer­en­t from other myeloma ther­a­pies.

One of the reasons Darzalex (dara­tu­mu­mab), for example, has been such an im­por­tant new treat­ment for multiple myeloma is because it rep­re­sents a new way of treating the dis­ease. Darzalex was not just another immuno­modu­la­tory agent, like Revlimid (lena­lido­mide) or thalido­mide, and not just …

There cur­rently are more than 300 clin­i­cal trials ongoing around the world that are investigating treat­ments for multiple myeloma and looking for patient par­tic­i­pants. Most of these trials are exploring new myeloma ther­a­pies that have not yet been approved for use outside of clin­i­cal trials, and many of these “investigational” ther­a­pies, as they often are called, have the poten­tial to be extremely effective.

The number of new treat­ments under devel­op­ment for multiple myeloma is greater than it ever has been, and this creates tremendous hope in the myeloma com­munity. In just a …